​There was only one school Sam Ramirez wanted to lead as head softball coach, and that place was Newman, his alma mater. After spending a decade as an assistant under Candi Rogers at Dixon, the 1994 graduate of NCCHS felt the moment was right to take the helm. “It’s an opportunity that I’ve been thinking about for a while,” he said. “I can’t thank Dixon High School enough. I learned a lot from coach Rogers and the whole entire program over there for a lot of years.”
For Ramirez, this move feels like a homecoming. He graduated from Newman the year after the softball program began. “If I was ever going to leave Dixon, it would have been for Newman, because that’s sort of for me, going home,” he explained. “It’s sort of a full-circle moment.” He is eager for the players who will return and hopeful to guide the Comets back to regional championships. His staff is still being finalized, and he plans to meet with the team once the school year starts. The roster is expected to include seven returning starters.
At Dixon, Ramirez was responsible for compiling scouting reports and preparing for opponents, and he also coached first base. The core message he wants to bring to Newman is positivity. “I’ve never been the kind of coach who yells; that’s just not who I am,” he noted. “But at the same time, I expect respect, and I think that’s the thing I want to bring.”
Ramirez is looking ahead to reversing a 9-18 record and guiding the team back into the win column. Newman has cycled through three coaches in as many years, following Madison Koerner and Charlie Woodward. The program’s last regional title came in 2024 under Koerner. “That’s kind of a goal of mine, to get this team back to where it was,” he said. “I remember when coach JD Waldschmidt took that team down to state in 2015. I remember my wife and I going down as fans to watch, and they had a really good team that year. Newman is used to winning regionals. Based on what I’ve read and what I’ve watched, I truly believe we have the talent to compete for a regional title next year.” The Comets have eight regional titles to their name and finished fourth at state in 2015.
Newman already has a solid core of returning players, and Ramirez hopes to grow the program’s numbers. “What I’d really like to do is rebuild that JV program, so I’m hoping that some of the girls who’ve maybe been on the fence about going out, go out for the sport,” he said. He plans to meet with as many potential players as possible, believing that greater excitement will translate into more girls choosing to participate. Ramirez is confident the team can regain its winning ways after its first losing season since 2021. “I know we’ve got the pitching, the fielding, the catching,” he stated. “I just think we can compete with these teams.”